Alison Bath
Published: July 10, 2022
-Stars And Stripes
NAPLES, Italy — A U.S. Navy Super Hornet assigned to an aircraft carrier sailing in the Mediterranean Sea was blown off the ship’s deck last week during heavy weather, the Navy said Sunday.
One sailor received minor injuries while conducting operations on the USS Harry S. Truman during an unexpected brief period of intense winds and heavy rains Friday morning, but was in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery, U.S. 6th Fleet said in a statement. That incident was not related to the F/A-18 Super Hornet going overboard, and all other personnel were accounted for, said Cmdr. Richlyn Ivey, a spokeswoman for U.S. 6th Fleet.
No one was on board the plane or nearby when the aircraft was blown off the ship’s deck. A determination about recovering the aircraft was being reviewed, Ivey said. The plane was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 1.
It wasn’t clear where in the Mediterranean the Truman was when the incident occurred. USNI News reported Thursday that the ship was in the Ionian Sea.
Truman was conducting a replenishment at sea with the USNS Robert E. Peary and USNS Supply, which was safely ended, according to the statement. Forecasted weather was not expected to impact the replenishment, Ivey said.
“USS Harry S. Truman and embarked aircraft remain full mission capable,” U.S. 6th Fleet said in the statement. Details and cause of the incident are under investigation, according to the statement.
The Truman carrier strike group was deployed to the Mediterranean in December as concerns mounted about a buildup of Russian troops and military equipment along the Ukraine border. Russia subsequently launched its full-scale invasion into Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Since then, the Truman has supported training and patrol flights in Eastern Europe, and sailed in the Ionian and Adriatic seas. It also has made several port calls, the latest on June 18 in Marseille, France.
In addition to CVW 1, the strike group includes the cruiser USS San Jacinto and Destroyer Squadron 28. The Truman is expected to remain in the Mediterranean until at least August.
